When ZenniHome co-founder Bob Worsley saw what was happening to the housing market in Arizona, he knew the industry was ready for a shakeup. Labor shortages, supply chain issues and long-term underinvestment created a huge unmet demand for homes — especially affordable ones. (The National Association of Realtors® estimates a current "underbuilding gap" of 5.5 to 6.8 million.)
Not just a housing crisis, a crisis of imagination
A serial entrepreneur who founded SkyMall and 15 other ventures over the past three decades, Bob could see the need for innovation in both home design and fabrication. Today’s homebuyers are looking for simple solutions to the complex challenges of modern life; they want environmentally friendly spaces that can adapt to changing lives. More than a year in on-and-off-again pandemic lockdowns laid bare the lack of flexibility and outdoor space in the country’s current home stock. Environmental disasters and power outages made the need for energy-independent homes glaringly apparent.
Bob and his ZenniHome co-founder Stephen D. James, an architect with experience with eco-friendly planned communities, envisioned a new kind of home to meet these new needs: Green, transformable, tech-integrated and precision-made in a factory like a high-end car. Buyers would be able to order their homes online, like they order their Teslas, and have them delivered anywhere in the world. The homes could be combined to create efficient, green multi-family communities or stand alone for first-time homebuyers, down-sizers or ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit) aficionados.
They called their new venture ZenniHome. After much dreaming, design work, prototyping, and collaboration with like-minded partners, ZenniHomes are now available for reservation by individual buyers and being incorporated into new multi-family homes around the country. What makes ZenniHome different?
Small house, big life
ZenniHome’s two models – the 320-square-foot Denizen and the 640-square-foot Citizen – are expertly designed with the highest quality materials and an ingenious use of natural light. With the help of robotic furniture from Ori, the floor plans morph to respond to the flow of the day: the living room becomes a bedroom, the closet collapses and unfolds into a desk, and the studio pulls out to reveal a second bedroom. It’s like having triple the space in one flexible package, not to mention the generous outdoor patios both models feature. ZenniHome’s attainable pricing (starting at $90,000 for Denizen and $125,000 for Citizen) and energy efficiency let homebuyers spend less on their mortgage and utilities payments and more on building a big life.
All-inclusive and move-in ready
Until now, making a home was a piecemeal process. You bought the house, furniture and appliances separately and tried to make the disparate pieces fit. With ZenniHome, your Denizen or Citizen model comes fully furnished. Beds, sofa, table and chairs, TVs, kitchen appliances, desk, shelves...they are all part of the singularly designed package. You can add your own touches, of course, but the essentials are included—and engineered to work together perfectly.
In addition, ZenniHome makes use of Starlink Broadband for internet access from anywhere and Google Home Hub Max for a multitude of smart-home capabilities, from controlling your robotic furniture with voice commands to monitoring your security cameras while you’re away.
Green living made easy
Previously, creating a truly green home took hours of independent research and some true DIY skills, as anyone who has tried to install their own solar system knows. Bob gets it: He’s been living off-the-grid for 26 years on his Arizona ranch and incorporated what he learned into ZenniHome’s models. ZenniHomes use 7KW solar systems with 10KWhr lithium ion batteries, gray- and black-water recycling, tankless hot water, and ZeroMass atmospheric potable water systems. Off-grid, on-grid, or grid-tied, a ZenniHome gives you the ability to cut both your literal footprint and your environmental footprint with one home purchase.
Online, on-demand and worldwide
Traditional construction times can stretch to 18 months (especially during labor and material shortages). A ZenniHome can arrive on your plot in 6 months or less. Designed to shipping container sizes and standards, ZenniHomes can travel anywhere in the world—by sea, rail and road. You don’t have to wait for one to be built in your neighborhood. You don’t have to find a real estate agent or go to an open house. All you need is an appropriately permitted and prepped site and a little imagination.
Customize and reserve your Citizen or Denizen online today.
More of an apartment dweller? Or a forward-thinking developer? One of the unique aspects of ZenniHome models is that they can be combined to create beautiful, eco-friendly multi-family configurations, from low-rise groupings to stacked urban towers. Contact us to find out more about ZenniHome developments in-progress and our multiple options for developers.
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